Accuracy: 2 m (6 ft)

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13-May-2015 -- Whenever I plan road trips, I try to keep Degree Confluence Points in mind. I was particularly intrigued by a large, sparsely-populated section of eastern Oregon, eastern Washington, and western Idaho, where there are many Degree Confluence Points that had been visited only once before - in 2000 or 2001. This was early in the Degree Confluence Project, when people were rushing to try to grab ‘virgin’ points. Once these points had been visited, however, people seemed to be less interested in visiting them again. This is unfortunate, because many of these points - although somewhat remote - appear to be quite easy to reach, and quite scenic. My goal on this road trip, therefore, was to try to visit many of these ‘Forgotten Confluence Points’, and to document what they now look like, 14 or 15 years after their previous (and only) visit.

My first ‘Forgotten Confluence Point’ was this remarkable point in southern Oregon, just 700 feet or so north of the border with Nevada. What makes this point remarkable is that it lies right on the edge of a cliff top, with a spectacular view to the West. It’s astonishing that such a spectacular point had been visited only once before - in July 2001.

From Winnemucca, Nevada, I drove north on US-95 to the small border town of McDermitt, then headed westward on Cordero Mine Road, and then Disaster Peak Road. Despite its ominous name, Disaster Peak Road, although gravel, was smooth, wide, and easy to drive. At 42.01847°N 117.99850°W - 1.5 miles north of the point - I turned left onto a narrow 4WD doubletrack heading southwards, and ending up about ¼ mile from the point. I parked and walked the rest of the way along the cliff top, to reach the point that’s right on the edge.